SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL

SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Lloyd's Comeback

Published: September 22, 1989

One of Short's former teammates at Houston, Lewis Lloyd, is on the verge of a historic comeback in the N.B.A. With the announcement on Wednesday that he had reached agreement with the Rockets on a one-year, $350,000 contract, Lloyd is ready to become the first player to return to the N.B.A. after being banned for drug use.

Lloyd and his Rockets teammate Mitchell Wiggins were banned from the N.B.A. on Jan. 13, 1987, for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Since then, Lloyd has been working at the John Lucas drug recovery center in Houston. Wiggins has also been given approval to return to the N.B.A. and is involved in contract negotiations with the Rockets.(AP)